# Avatar is back.



## RespectTheBlade

Well, for those here who are fans of the Nickelodeon series Avatar: The Last Airbender, I have good news.

It's back. 

The Last Airbender: The Legend of Korra is scheduled to come out either late 2011 or Mid-2012. 

Here's a trailer.


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## Michi

I probably won't watch it... Even though I love the original to death. I guess it's because itll have new characters and all. I suppose I'll give it a chance.


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## Blastoise Fortooate

*froths at mouth*

SHE HAS A POLAR-BEAR WOLF (I THINK)

AND WHY WAS APPA THERE OR DID THEY FIND MORE FLYING BISON?

AND THE ANIMATION HAS GOTTEN EVEN BETTER SOMEHOW (OMG WATERBENDING LOOKS SO REALISTIC NOW)

AND THAT CITY DSJFKFUIHCFMNXFCJNa WHaT HOW GREAT IS THAT

THERE ARE AWESOME BLIMPS ABOUT 30 SECONDS IN YES I LOVE THIS

AND THAT GUY IN THE END IS KINDA SOKKA-ISH

AND WTF IS WITH THE MODERN-DRESS GUYS AT AROUND 55 SECONDS IN? IT HAS ONLY BEEN LIKE SIXTY OR SEVENTY YEARS

Okay, I'm better now.


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## Eclipse

Oh my god, I am so excite for this.

And considering the makers stated it's set in the Avatar-world equivalent to an Industrial Revolution, it's not surprising fashion changed too.


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## RespectTheBlade

I'm not entireley sure, but I believe that city is an Earth Kingdom one. Maybe Ba Sing Se ?


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## Shiny Grimer

Oh man, is it only on Nicktoons? I just lost that channel. :C


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## RespectTheBlade

... said:


> Oh man, is it only on Nicktoons? I just lost that channel. :C


I'd guess it would be on Nickelodeon, what with it being brand new and all, but I don't know.


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## Butterfree

Sites that block you from accessing content based on where you live make me _sad_.


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## Glace

I'll miss the old characters, but this looks good. Another show with shippings I can follow

I'm just a little mad that they left us with cliffhangers that will (probably) never be answered.


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## Dannichu

I am looking forward to this SO MUCH. 

I hope so, so much we get to see an old lady-version of Toph. Toph would be the coolest old lady _ever_.


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## Lady Grimdour

Also, Aang and Katara have a son. He's the mentordude. And this was announced two years ago on /tv/. Finally it's hit the main news lines.


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## Blastoise Fortooate

Butterfree said:


> Sites that block you from accessing content based on where you live make me _sad_.


It's on youtube, too, if you haven't figured that out yet.


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## RespectTheBlade

In response to video: Is it just me, or does the island at about 3 or 4 seconds in look like an air temple being circled by sky bison?


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## Blastoise Fortooate

more info


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## IcySapphire

I am so excited for this, and am working my way through the original series to get ready.


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## Butterfree

Blastoise Fortooate said:


> It's on youtube, too, if you haven't figured that out yet.


At the time I made that post, the only version of the real trailer on YouTube (that showed up on a search for "avatar the legend of korra trailer") had been removed for copyright reasons.

Now that there are more uploads, however, man, this looks awesome. :D Also seconding the notion that we must see a badass old-lady Toph.


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## Mhaladie

I am super super thrilled for this. All the information that's been released looks so excellent; Korra kind of looks like the most badass Avatar ever, I love her polar bear sort of animal she rides on, I love that Aang and Zuko founded a city, I love that there are three little airbender children, I love that Korra's traveling companions are an earthbender and a firebender that are brothers, I love the idea of FIRE FERRETS (!!!)... I LOVE IT ALL. 

So excited.


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## Spoon

My goodness, the backgrounds are just ridiculously detailed and amazing; the best I've ever seen in an animated show. It kind of bothers my that the polar bear dog, Naga, has skinny hind legs, but bulky front legs, but that can be forgiven because she's a friggin' polar bear dog. The city looks just plain stunning. Fire ferrets (with a hint of red panda) are adorable. This can't come soon enough.


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## Zero Moment

Bluh...
Is there any official trailers on Youtube, like not recorded in the theater or anything, but put on YT by one of those official uploaders?


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## Arylett Charnoa

That looks astronomically cool. Spoon's right; those backgrounds... eye candy to the max.

I never finished the old Avatar, but I'm looking forward to get a chance to finish this one! That is, if they put it on Nick. If they put it on that Nicktoons channel, well, I can't really watch it.


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## Jason-Kun

All the old characters are supposed to be dead from what I've heard/read so I wouldn't expect an old lady Toph. But yes, Korra and her polar bear dog would be awesome.


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## Minish

RespectTheBlade said:


> I'm not entireley sure, but I believe that city is an Earth Kingdom one. Maybe Ba Sing Se ?


Nope! It's the United Republic! Nobody knows where it is yet, maybe not in one of the main nations, but it's made up of people from all four.



Jason-Kun said:


> All the old characters are supposed to be dead from what I've heard/read so I wouldn't expect an old lady Toph. But yes, Korra and her polar bear dog would be awesome.


They're not! It's only set seventy years in the future, I wouldn't be surprised if all the main characters are still alive. I'm really looking forward to seeing old lady Toph too, and OH MY GOD her metalbending daughter *.*

In fact, everything about the series is *.* and I am extremely excited and every so often I'm just like YAY KORRA and everything's grand. Korra looks like the most badass character there's ever been and I'm really warming up to the rest of the new Team Avatar, too! _everything_ just looks great and its airing can't come quick enough!!


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## hopeandjoy

@Cirrus: Well, obviously Aang is dead and I heard that Katara is too.


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## Michi

Andrea Romano, the casting and voice director, apparently confirmed that all of the original Team Avatar is dead by the start of the new series. =[


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## Dannichu

^ No _way_ ;; That's actually made me ridiculously sad.

I'm in full Avatar-mode at the moment following a marathoning of the entire series with my friend this week. God, I'd forgotten how absolutely amazing that cartoon is. Every time I try and pick a favourite character, my brain starts to implode from all the choices (Sokka, Suki, Azula, Iroh, Toph aaaahhh help me).


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## Firelord Alex

I am such a huge fan of ATLA, and when I heard this around a year ago I was ecstatic.  I thought until today that there would be only 12 episodes, but knowing that there are 26 now is giving me heart problems. :D


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## Zero Moment

I wonder if Korra is the new Avatar?


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## Blastoise Fortooate

Legendaryseeker99 said:


> I wonder if Korra is the new Avatar?


Yes? She's learned all the elements besides Air.


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## Coroxn

I love this is I love this I love this I love this I love this I Aang is dead? Awww. Hope he had a long and happy life. Hope Zuko found his mom. Hope Ozai chocked on his own vomit. Hope Katara married Aang. Hope Sokka became an awesome warrior. Hope Toph drowned (hated her so much).


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## Glace

Coroxn said:


> I love this is I love this I love this I love this I love this I Aang is dead? Awww. Hope he had a long and happy life. Hope Zuko found his mom. Hope Ozai chocked on his own vomit. Hope Katara married Aang. Hope Sokka became an awesome warrior. *Hope Toph drowned (hated her so much).*


_SHUN_

Toph was like my favorite character D:


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## Zero Moment

Coroxn said:


> I love this is I love this I love this I love this I love this I Aang is dead? Awww. Hope he had a long and happy life. Hope Zuko found his mom. Hope Ozai chocked on his own vomit. Hope Katara married Aang. Hope Sokka became an awesome warrior. *Hope Toph drowned (hated her so much).*


You are an awful person.
Toph was the best.


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## Michi

Coroxn said:


> I love this is I love this I love this I love this I love this I Aang is dead? Awww. Hope he had a long and happy life. Hope Zuko found his mom. Hope Ozai chocked on his own vomit. Hope Katara married Aang. Hope Sokka became an awesome warrior. Hope Toph drowned (hated her so much).


Actually, Aang died relatively early at the biological age of 66.


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## RespectTheBlade

Coroxn said:


> Hope Toph drowned (hated her so much).


...How can you hate a blind badass? who was probably the best earthbender ever? she can freaking bend _metal._

(although, if you don't like earthbending, I guess you don't like toph by extension.)


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## Jason-Kun

Toph's cool but shes no Ty Lee.


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## Phantom

Butterfree said:


> Sites that block you from accessing content based on where you live make me _sad_.


 
Quoted for truth, I HATE that. Damn BBC reminding me I live in the US.


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## Blastoise Fortooate

Mockingjay said:


> Actually, Aang died relatively early at the biological age of 66.


Apparently this was because he spent a hundred-odd years in the Avatar State (yipyip).


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## Aisling

I've been psyched about this ever since it was announced a while ago, and now that there's a trailer, like
mind=blown

Am I the only one who recognized the polar bear dog from the "Art of" book? He was like the original Appa I guess, back when Momo was a robot and Aang was from the future



Mockingjay said:


> Actually, Aang died relatively early at the biological age of 66.


I seriously hope they explain this, because especially in the world of Avatar, 66 is quite a young age to die, considering there were many characters who remembered a time before the war, which basically started immediately after Aang went missing a hundred years before. Right? Am I remembering this right?


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## Blastoise Fortooate

Alraune said:


> I seriously hope they explain this, because especially in the world of Avatar, 66 is quite a young age to die, considering there were many characters who remembered a time before the war, which basically started immediately after Aang went missing a hundred years before. Right? Am I remembering this right?





Blastoise Fortooate said:


> Apparently this was because he spent a hundred-odd years in the Avatar State (yipyip).


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## Aisling

So he was like some kind of human bonsai kitten? That would have messed up his anatomy in _so_ many ways if his body actually kept aging while he was in the ice... unless, like, his soul aged or something? But that makes no sense either because his soul spans generations since the beginning of time because he's the Avatar. I think he must have gotten assassinated or something and that's the cause (or an effect) of whatever horrible thing is going to be happening that Korra and her friends have to stop...

Unless you can actually cite it from somewhere? You say "apparently" as if it is apparent somewhere. I'll admit I haven't been staying totally on top of it between the time it was first announced, and right now.


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## Blastoise Fortooate

I heard it somewhere, can't remember where. *digs through history*

Lessee, it's because spending a hundred years straight in the Avatar State did a toll on his body. Here's the interview that says it, it's like the second question.


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## Aisling

Aha! Alright, that makes sense. Definitely reading the rest of that... and following that blog. :p


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## Mai

Jason-Kun said:


> Toph's cool but shes no Ty Lee.


I do love Toph a lot (SHUUUN), but quoted for truth. :D

I have no reason why I haven't posted in this thread. Avatar is my _namesake!_ (Shh forget about before the namechange. I was stupid back then.) Anyway! 

This looks so awesome. I'll be looking forward to it and I'm really hoping Mai and Ty Lee are alive or at least led interesting lives. Is there any confirmation about them or more minor characters?


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## Firelord Alex

Toph is my favorite character even though Firebending is my choice.


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## Zero Moment

Firelord Alex said:


> Toph is my favorite character even though Firebending is my choice.


Yeah, me too.


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## Spoon

So seeing as Legend of Korra premiered yesterday, what did everyone think? (I'm aware of this being thread bumping, by the way. The show's still relevant so a new thread wouldn't make sense.)

 I'm definitely a big fan of Korra and how her personality is so different from Aang's. I'm also a fan of Bolin, but I'll have to warm up to Mako. Tenzin's great. Oh as is the hobo and his fantastic bush. Meelo scares me, but it's in the best way possible. Oh a Lin Bei Fong  is just plain fantastic and I'm really hoping to get more of a back story. Probably one of the better ways I've spent an hour.


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## Zero Moment

Damn, it aired yesterday?? I'll have to watch it on Youtube or something, then.

I will be back with opinions later!


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## Dar

I'll have to watch it on Youtube. My mom got rid of cable six months ago.


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## Spoon

Legendaryseeker99 said:


> Damn, it aired yesterday?? I'll have to watch it on Youtube or something, then.
> 
> I will be back with opinions later!


 Nick.com might still have the episodes on their site. Look for the Korra section and click on the video section there. Fair warning, though, they're notorious region-blockers, so non-USians will have to find other sources. >:


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## Zero Moment

That sparkly bush is magnificent


Holy hell is it hard to find the episodes on Youtube. The whole site is swamped with those stupid review videos. I only found _one_ video of Welcome to Republic City in _ten pages_, and that one was weirdly sped up slightly. I haven't any luck with A Leaf in the Wind yet.
Also I'm watching this on YT because my computer apparently can handle it but  not Nick.com????


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## Spoon

EP1: Welcome to Republic City 
 EP2: A Leaf in the Wind 

 They're probably region-blocked for non-USians, by the way. >:


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## surskitty

Did the Fire Nation put up a statue of Aang holding balloons?


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## Aisling

I watched it earlier this week (it was streaming on the internet one weekend a few weeks ago on korranation, and I just grabbed a torrent someone made of those) and heeee it was awesome! And also sad :[ I think a lot of my favorite characters are probably dead. Probably.

speaking of my favorite characters MAKO IS TOTALLY RELATED TO ZUKO SOMEHOW. I JUST KNOW IT. His "brother" is an earthbender so I bet one of them is adopted, or maybe they're both street urchins. Maybe Zuko's mother had some other children while she was AWOL for such a long time... Mako looks, sounds, and acts so much like Zuko, and Mako was also the name of Iroh's voice actor so I bet it's at least an easter egg or something.

I'm making my boyfriend watch Avatar TLA on Netflix so he can watch Korra ASAP. He's enjoying it immensely. :]


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## Zero Moment

Spoon said:


> EP1: Welcome to Republic City
> EP2: A Leaf in the Wind





Legendaryseeker99 said:


> Also I'm watching this on YT because my computer apparently can handle it but  not Nick.com????


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## Spoon

Sorry, should have clarified, LegendarySeeker. I posted the links as easy references for those who would be interested in watching the show. I was aware that your computer was having trouble with nick.com. Viacom is very quick to remove videos of theirs on Youtube, so I thought something official would be a more permanent option for those who can access it. There's a few less than...legal options that I could probably send your way, but I'm not exactly sure what the forum policy is on it.


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## RespectTheBlade

In the same boat as Alraune, I watched the first episode on korranation while it was up. I'm happy with the advancement of the world as a whole; While republic city has a more urban feel to it, the martial arts fighting styles, the art, and the music still feel like the original. 

Also pro-bending is the best sport ever.


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## Blastoise Fortooate

Alraune said:


> His "brother" is an earthbender so I bet one of them is adopted, or maybe they're both street urchins.


Well, Katara and Aang had children that could bend different elements, so. Mako and Bolin could easily be real brothers.


guuuuuh I love this show so muuuuch


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## Minish

Blastoise Fortooate said:


> Well, Katara and Aang had children that could bend different elements, so. Mako and Bolin could easily be real brothers.
> 
> 
> guuuuuh I love this show so muuuuch


Right! I don't really get why so many people refuse to believe that Mako and Bolin are related. It doesn't seem like there'd be many ~pure-blood~ families around now. Also I'm getting the impression that you can learn to/be raised into any element? That's sort of how I took things in the Aang cycle even though the Avatar was meant to be unique. It would be fun to see someone who tried super-hard to learn another type of bending!

Aaaanyway I'm really enjoying the series!! Basically I love Jinora and Lin. I feel like it's still proving itself, but Korra herself is already a pretty great character. There are lots of things I'm looking forward to!


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## Butterfree

I always assumed Mako and Bolin were just mixed-race - if their parents were an earthbender and a firebender, they could have one earthbender kid and one firebender kid. There's obviously been a lot of cultural mixing since the first series, where things were pretty segregated.

And I'd be really, really surprised if the ability to bend weren't inborn. Off the top of my head I can think of about ten different situations from either series seem to suggest it (Katara being the only waterbender of her tribe, Pema complaining she wants a non-bender kid who won't blast wind in her face every ten seconds, Amon's equality movement criticizing bender privilege, the only airbenders in the world being Tenzin and his family even now, everybody other than the avatar only being able to bend one element at most, the sheer prevalence of non-benders, etc.), even if I guess you _could_ handwave them all to work the other way.


Anyway, Korra is great! I love the general retention of the sense of humour from the first series while setting up a more morally complex storyline (I really hope they tackle that well).


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## Aisling

Blastoise Fortooate said:


> Well, Katara and Aang had children that could bend different elements, so. Mako and Bolin could easily be real brothers.
> 
> 
> guuuuuh I love this show so muuuuch


Well, the fact they both bend different things isn't the only reason I figured that, just the biggest one. I get the feeling firebenders probably had the hardest time getting used to the whole not-segregated-by-race/country/bending anymore, considering their general supremist attitude during TLA. Waging a war on the entire world for a hundred years can't have been good on their ability to not be racist. There's also the fact Mako and Bolin look very different from eachother... but brothers can be that way too I suppose. I never said it wasn't entirely possible, but... I just really want Mako to be related to Zuko ;_; otherwise I'm like, ashamed of them for basically reusing a character as far as personality and practically design goes. The only difference is, like, the eyebrows, seriously

Oh and I just remembered, In the second episode, didn't the commentator mention something about Mako and Bolin coming out of nowhere? That really smacks like the rising underdog kind of thing, which is also why I theorize they grew up as orphans or something and 'adopted' eachother


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## Spoon

Alraune said:


> Well, the fact they both bend different things isn't the only reason I figured that, just the most obvious one. There's also the fact they look very different from eachother... but brothers can be that way too I suppose. I just really want Mako to be related to Zuko ;_; otherwise I'm like, ashamed of them for basically reusing a character


  I'm kind of surprised on how much I've hear how similar Zuko and Mako are. I think besides the two being teen firebenders that aren't particularly friendly, they don't have much in common, especially background wise. Mako and Bolin's relationship seems very different from what Azula's and Zuko's was. Maybe the two being orphans is somewhat similar to Ursula leaving, but I haven't seen a parent figure for the two as opposed to Iroh or Fire Lord Ozai (if you can consider the latter one.) Also, with really one episode to go by, I'm fairly sure there'll be more of Mako that will established him as his own character rather than an Expy. 

 On another note, I'm really hoping that only a few characters are related to the past cast. While I enjoy the references to the previous characters, I think focusing too heavily on them will somewhat obscure the current cast.


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## Dannichu

The two episodes I've seen are absolutely brilliant and I love them and can't wait for more... but I cannot and will not get over giggling like a ridiculous person every time I see the intro-thingy. 

BENDERS AND NON-BENDERS LIVING IN HARMONY.

It was pretty funny in Avatar (called Avatar: The Legend of Aang, rather than Avatar: The Last Airbender in the UK to avoid this), but having it stated like that in the intro is even funnier than lines from the (awful) film like "I could tell at once that you were a bender, and that you would realise your destiny".


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## shy ♡

Dannichu said:


> The two episodes I've seen are absolutely brilliant and I love them and can't wait for more... but I cannot and will not get over giggling like a ridiculous person every time I see the intro-thingy.
> 
> BENDERS AND NON-BENDERS LIVING IN HARMONY.
> 
> It was pretty funny in Avatar (called Avatar: The Legend of Aang, rather than Avatar: The Last Airbender in the UK to avoid this), but having it stated like that in the intro is even funnier than lines from the (awful) film like "I could tell at once that you were a bender, and that you would realise your destiny".


Oh my god somehow I didn't even notice this and you just made the entire show more awesome and I didn't think that was physically possible. Thank you.

For the record I am a buttbender.


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## Momo(th)

I just love the fact that Amon's mask looks like a Guy Fawkes mask.


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## Phantom

Ok guys... one question...  How is Tenzin riding a flipping sky bison? Appa was THE last one... how are there more? Last time I checked... you needed at least two...?


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## CJBlazer

I like the new avatar. Korra seems way better than Aang was in fighting and all.


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## Blastoise Fortooate

Phantom said:


> Ok guys... one question...  How is Tenzin riding a flipping sky bison? Appa was THE last one... how are there more? Last time I checked... you needed at least two...?



 Aang found more of them after the war.


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## Phantom

Blastoise Fortooate said:


> Aang found more of them after the war.


Is that confirmed?

If it is, well isn't that convenient?


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## surskitty

Yeah, it's confirmed.  Also notice that Tenzin's bison looks a lot different from Appa's family.


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## Phantom

Thank you. That was bothering me while watching the first episode. I was like HOWSZAHELLS?

Overall I think it shows promise.


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## RespectTheBlade

Did Aang find more flying lemurs, too? there was one flying around on air temple island, and I don't think Momo would've lived that long.


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## Blastoise Fortooate

Yes, he did. 



Spoiler



These ones are ring-tails, though.


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## Spoon

So Amon can take bending away for good. I'm really interested in how he got that ability; I don't think lion turtles have ever been that common. Also, it'd be a really interesting plot point if of the main cast had their bending taken away, but I'm not expecting it to happen. Also, looks like bending gangs are serious stuff in Republic City. And Pabu is fantastic!


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## Momo(th)

That was one of the craziest episodes ever! I think Amon gained that power because he's an incredibly skilled Chi Blocker. And maybe he can't take someones bending for good. I mean, how can he be sure it takes away bending permanently if he just "invented" it? Maybe he's so good it just last much longer than the average Chi Blocker. And the next episode looks even more awesome!


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## RespectTheBlade

I like Lightning Bolt Zolt, for some reason. It just strikes me as cool that gray-haired gel using gangster bosses exist in the world now. 

So, my thoughts-
Lightning-bending must now be as bountiful as metal bending is, considering how many benders can use it. (I beleive there were about ten in the power-plant that Mako worked in.)

As far as Aman learning Spiritbending (possibly), He either doesn't have a permanent form of it (maybe it's blocked but can be healed) or he somehow learned it from the Avatar. We don't know who Aang talked to during the 70-year lapse.

Pabu is amazing. :D I really want a fire ferret now. (I also sense a sort of Momo-Appa relationship going on between Naga and Pabu.)


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## Momo(th)

So the most interesting thing in the new episode was when Korra had those flashes of memories. The only thing I could tell, though, is that Aang was present a a trial for some reason


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## Spoon

So this episode and its handling of its big ships was interesting. I honestly wasn't expecting so much stuff to happen, but glad that everyone seemed to be getting along by the end. I'm interested by the Wolf Bats team and wish they had more of a backstory in this episode. NotDrunk!Bolin was fantastic as was Chubby!Pabu. How the pro-bending matches were done were fantastic and loved how much the Fire Ferret played in the first match.


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## Aisling

BORRA FOREVER AAAAA



Spoiler: spoilers



Poor Bolin :[ he dun did nuffin wrong

Honestly though I thought this episode was kind of melodramatic and fillery, though not terrible, but it's kind of early to start filling and fluffing. I'm thinking they focused so much on the pro-bending this time so they can quickly get it out of the way so they can set up for/focus on the serious story stuff later, without having to handle both at the same time.


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## Dannichu

Heee, so many good bending lines in the most recent episodes. Favourites were "You should come to see me for some private bending lessons" and "He's a well-oiled bending machine!".

And Bolin and Lin are my favourites. Bolin was especially brilliant in the most recent ep, and Lin don't take crap from nobody. The episode was pretty fillery, but it was so funny in so many places I didn't mind.

Korra's vision-thingy was great. GROWN-UP TOPH <3 So cool.


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## Tailsy

I finally got around to watching it!! Yay!!!

I've only seen the first three episodes but I want to take Bolin and Pabu home with me, aw little cuties. And Tenzin's kids omg I love them *w* and the shots of Republic City are gorgeous aaaah, so wonderful! I really like it so far!! Even though it's descending pretty quickly into DARK PLOT TERRITORY :o I kind of like it, though. I must get around to watching the next two.

I'm finding Mako to be pretty obnoxious, though. He's kind of a jerk?? Korra probably needs him around to verbally bonk her on the head when she needs it but I still don't really like him. >:C


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## Aisling

Watching the new episode as I type this post



Spoiler: spoiler



Oh my god... Tahno was a douche and all, but I wouldn't wish that on anybody!
Amon is scary as fuck mannnnn
And the action is amaziiiing Lin is a *BOSS*


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## Momo(th)

Fan-theory time! The images that Korra keeps seeing is Aang trying to communicate to her like what Roku did to Aang. He's trying to tell her something about Amon, because the flashbacks are all about a trial and some fight Aang had. I believe that Aang fought, defeated, and imprisoned Amon's father, and that's what started his intense hatred of bending.


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## Aisling

Seraph said:


> Fan-theory time! The images that Korra keeps seeing is Aang trying to communicate to her like what Roku did to Aang. He's trying to tell her something about Amon, because the flashbacks are all about a trial and some fight Aang had. I believe that Aang fought, defeated, and imprisoned Amon's father, and that's what started his intense hatred of bending.


Depending on how long ago the flashbacks are, maybe it's Amon himself? Or would he be too old?


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## RespectTheBlade

I believe Amon is connected to Ozai in some way. Only Ozai and Avatar Aang (at least to my knowledge) have experienced Spiritbending, or the ability to remove a person's bending (what Aang did to Ozai in the finale.)


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## Butterfree

So, anyone else think yesterday's episode was pretty promising? 



Spoiler



They're finally getting into "Hey, maybe the non-benders _are_ being oppressed." It's still like "Well, the _equalists_ are horrible and evil, but those people aren't equalists!", but with this episode and Korra's "You're just as bad as Amon!" and Tarrlok being a bloodbender who doesn't even need the full moon to do it and "There are a lot of things you don't know about me" and everything, they seem to be setting him up as a _very_ major if not the main villain of the show. (Shadey seems to think he is Amon; I think that doesn't make any sense and would be disappointing.)


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## yiran

Yes. Oh my God yes. I'm exploding at this very moment. 



Spoiler: My brain hurts



I have never watched Avatar: The Last Airbender, but my friends convinced me to watch Korra and I ADSJFASDFKJed. Seriously, every episode is _amazing_. There are humorous and dramatic and heartwarming moments, and everything is just so PERFECT. Well not completely perfect, just amazing.

Okay, I've calmed down. Rational inference time. I think yesterday's episode was very good – it changed so fast from being quite lighthearted to oh-crap level serious. Tarrlok is portrayed so well (badly?) that I wanted Korra to throw the two rocks at him, even if I'm nowhere near Korra's hotheaded personality. The fighting at the end wasn't too full of action, but the atmosphere and the surprise bloodbending was just so... dramatic, and that's topped further with the flashbacks. I really, really want to know what happens next, which means the writers pretty much succeeded as writers since this is how you get people to read/watch your fiction; make them want to figure out what is going to happen (or happened, depending on how much the audience knows).

WHERE DID PABU GO?


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## opaltiger

Butterfree said:


> So, anyone else think yesterday's episode was pretty promising?
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> They're finally getting into "Hey, maybe the non-benders _are_ being oppressed." It's still like "Well, the _equalists_ are horrible and evil, but those people aren't equalists!", but with this episode and Korra's "You're just as bad as Amon!" and Tarrlok being a bloodbender who doesn't even need the full moon to do it and "There are a lot of things you don't know about me" and everything, they seem to be setting him up as a _very_ major if not the main villain of the show. (Shadey seems to think he is Amon; I think that doesn't make any sense and would be disappointing.)





Spoiler



I do wish they'd been slightly less heavy-handed about it. As it is it's basically LOOK HERE SEE OUR CLEVER ALLEGORY LOOK HOW ALLEGORICAL WE ARE WINK WINK which is slightly annoying. Also: are the other three councillors _ever_ going to speak?


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## yiran

opaltiger said:


> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> I do wish they'd been slightly less heavy-handed about it. As it is it's basically LOOK HERE SEE OUR CLEVER ALLEGORY LOOK HOW ALLEGORICAL WE ARE WINK WINK which is slightly annoying. Also: are the other three councillors _ever_ going to speak?


Why look at fiction from such a analytical point of view? I know I'm being the white knight and just blindly defending the series here, but I just enjoy the show without thinking of its devices. This is why I don't go to TvTropes much anymore – it makes me think of fiction from a much too cerebral view than I'd like to.

I do agree with your last sentence, though. But really, it's not like it's main target audience is people that rationally talk about plot devices, characters, etc. It's marketed more towards the people who are constantly ASDGHASLDFKJing, not even bothering to stop to think about implausibilities. So yeah, even though  from an analytical standpoint I do agree with your comment, I think they did the right choice. Which is, focusing more on the action AND MAKING PEOPLE HATE TARRLOK! /emotional


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## opaltiger

> Why look at fiction from such a analytical point of view?


I don't. I try not to analyse things as I'm watching/reading/playing them. Which is why it's even more annoying when they end up being sufficiently unsubtle that I can't _not_ analyse them.


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## Minish

yiran said:


> But really, it's not like it's main target audience is people that rationally talk about plot devices, characters, etc. It's marketed more towards the people who are constantly ASDGHASLDFKJing, not even bothering to stop to think about implausibilities. So yeah, even though  from an analytical standpoint I do agree with your comment, I think they did the right choice. Which is, focusing more on the action AND MAKING PEOPLE HATE TARRLOK! /emotional


I don't really like this attitude. :c Korra's target audience is mostly kids, yeah, but the idea that kids don't notice plot points that don't make sense or heavy-handedness is pretty unfair. Shows like Doctor Who, books like Harry Potter, they manage to pull off intelligent and interesting things without somehow breaking children's brains. I know when I was a kid I tended to appreciate not being treated like I wouldn't notice implausibilities.

The thing is that a lot of hard work has to go into making something like a good kids' show, compared to the little work that goes into watching it! It's sometimes hard to notice all the hard work (including choosing plot devices), but when clearly _not_ much work has gone into it it's suddenly really obvious. You don't have to be super-analytical to be put off by it, or even notice.


The heavy-handedness really is getting a bit much in Korra. I'm still holding out and watching each episode and having fun, but I don't really know why they decided that aiming for a slightly older audience/having older characters = just more relationship drama, apparently? I felt that Aang's cycle had really interesting and poignant themes, and was occasionally quite wise, and then Korra's just... a bunch more generic. But it's okay.

Still needs to try making the _main_ characters interesting for once, though.


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## Butterfree

Seems a bit weird to call it allegory, unless I'm way misunderstanding what you're calling allegorical. A work of fiction having oppression isn't an allegory for oppression; it's just oppression. ?_? I do kind of agree on how blatant they felt the need to make the SUDDEN OPPRESSION before having the narrative take a proper stance against it, but it didn't bother me _much_; I'm still holding out for a more nuanced take on the issue in the future, and something this obviously wrong could just be the kick that Korra needs to start properly perceiving more nuance in the matter.


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## opaltiger

I don't know, I just thought there was something about the particular set-up (subset of group X belongs to dangerous militant group; therefore abridge rights for all group X) which is particularly relevant today.


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## Aisling

Spoiler



I'm pretty sure Tarrlok is either the son of the guy who's on trial in Korra's visions (I think everyone in this episode's flashback was being bloodbended by the allies of the guy on trial), or working with Amon, or possibly both, because he's making it way too easy for Amon to justify what he's doing! Nobody can be _that_ short-sighted

WHAT IF TARRLOK IS ALWAYS BLOODBENDING THE OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS INTO RAISING THEIR HANDS AND THEY FEAR HIM SO MUCH BECAUSE HE CAN DO THAT



edit: I find it kind of amusing that this thread has more black than any other thread discussing a thing on this forum ever


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## yiran

Cirrus said:


> I don't really like this attitude. :c Korra's target audience is mostly kids, yeah, but the idea that kids don't notice plot points that don't make sense or heavy-handedness is pretty unfair. Shows like Doctor Who, books like Harry Potter, they manage to pull off intelligent and interesting things without somehow breaking children's brains. I know when I was a kid I tended to appreciate not being treated like I wouldn't notice implausibilities.
> 
> The thing is that a lot of hard work has to go into making something like a good kids' show, compared to the little work that goes into watching it! It's sometimes hard to notice all the hard work (including choosing plot devices), but when clearly _not_ much work has gone into it it's suddenly really obvious. You don't have to be super-analytical to be put off by it, or even notice.
> 
> The heavy-handedness really is getting a bit much in Korra. I'm still holding out and watching each episode and having fun, but I don't really know why they decided that aiming for a slightly older audience/having older characters = just more relationship drama, apparently? I felt that Aang's cycle had really interesting and poignant themes, and was occasionally quite wise, and then Korra's just... a bunch more generic. But it's okay.
> 
> Still needs to try making the _main_ characters interesting for once, though.


I didn't say that you should pick it out, I just said that I think the producers chose what to do correctly when accounting in other factors :P


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## Aisling

Spoiler



Well, I was right about Tarrlok being Yukone's son, but I didn't think it was _him_ bending the courtroom, since his hands were cuffed up- since when could waterbenders bend without moving their hands?? (my sister suggests he was bending with his eyes) I call plothole

Also HOLY FUCK AMON IS SCARY

and finally, Makorra kind of upsets me. Now, I do ship Borra, but that's not why. I wish Mako would just be honest with Asami. She seems like a wonderful person but it's so obvious now who Mako likes more. I guess for a Makorra shipper those scenes where Mako goes out of his way to fuss over Korra were really nice, but for me they were painful to watch. During TLA's run, I accused them of purposely tugging on shippers' heartstrings with The Waterbending Scroll and the season 2 finale and the random smatterings of Toph crushing on Sokka, but now they're _blatantly_ pandering, and it just really rubbed me the wrong way. I really hope Korra and Mako don't get together, if only for how contrived it would be.



Excited for the finale aaaaaa


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## Minish

yiran said:


> I didn't say that you should pick it out, I just said that I think the producers chose what to do correctly when accounting in other factors :P


Probably not? I'd like to give the creators more credit, too. It's always been a pretty intricate, consistent show!

Oh god, it's time for the finale already? And yeah, Makorra and the shipping in general is really tiresome because I'm literally not caring about it at all. Apart from Korrasami, of course, which is canon as day. Moderately sad about 



Spoiler



Tenlin being a thing because _boring_ and I don't really want Lin's characterisation to be that she became much grumpier and harsher after being jilted or dumped in favour of Pema or whatever happened. :C Why can't she just be awesome by nature?


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## Aisling

Cirrus said:


> Moderately sad about
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> Tenlin being a thing because _boring_ and I don't really want Lin's characterisation to be that she became much grumpier and harsher after being jilted or dumped in favour of Pema or whatever happened. :C Why can't she just be awesome by nature?


I think she is just that way, and that that was part of the reason why it didn't work out between the two of them. She probably was/is still a little bitter about it but that's a long time to hang on to something like that and let it define you. Tenzin did say they had their differences...

edit: I feel like I should say something positive about this episode though, because there were parts I liked. Meelo is still _adorable as fuck_ and the scene where he's sleeping with his parents was really cute. I also liked the flashbacks, it was really cool to see the old Team Avatar (I liked Gaang better, why didn't it ever catch on? I mean, I guess I know why it did, but it's much shorter and easier to say!) as adults, but still themselves. I hope we find out more about what became of all of them.

edit 2: 



Spoiler



this post sums up my feels quite nicely!!


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## Phantom

Arg, I am behind a few episodes, but I am sooo tempted to read the spoilers. 

Also, can they _please_ come up with another word for bending? I laugh every time they say it, it's like a drinking game every time they say 'bender'


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## Aisling

Phantom said:


> Arg, I am behind a few episodes, but I am sooo tempted to read the spoilers.
> 
> 
> Also, can they _please_ come up with another word for bending? I laugh every time they say it, it's like a drinking game every time they say 'bender'.


I was going to make a comparison similar to "that's like trying to come up with another word for breathing" but there kind of are.. like... panting, gasping, inhaling/exhaling. I just can't think of a good example.

It_ is_ kinda weird that a thing as old as bending that comes as natural to many people as, well, just existing, doesn't have more than one word to describe it.


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## Phantom

Spoiler



I just saw the blood bending bit. Ew blood bending. I seriously wanted to beat the crap out of that guy. C'mon Kora, kick his ass AVATAR STYLE.


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## Aisling

*CRYS*



Spoiler



omg this episode MAKO IS AN ASSHOLE meelo was so cute BUT LIN! NOT LIN! OMG

AND _IROH_

_OH MY GOD_

THIS EPISODE



edit: 



Spoiler



OH MY GOD EVERYONE IS RELATED TO AANG NOW?? Korra cast family tree for those who haven't seen it and don't know who the guy on the left is





Spoiler: gif


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## opaltiger

Alraune said:


> omg this episode MAKO IS AN ASSHOLE meelo was so cute BUT LIN! NOT LIN! OMG





Spoiler



[21:42:28] <opaltiger> it's okay this just gives Lin the opportunity to be badass in new and exciting ways

also I don't think voices are quite _that_ heritable


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## Phantom

Water Tribe!

I sooo need to catch up, because I read all these spoilers and now I am more curious than before.


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## Blastoise Fortooate

My brother missed the last episode and now I have nobody to nerd out with in real life! D:

Oh my _god _this episode. Meelo! and the other airbabies! Mako being an oblivious dude! LIVE BIRTH and the bison gets named for the first(?) time! BUT OH NO FOR LIN but OH YES FOR IROH and all of my feelings are HUGE and I am obviously not ready for the finale.

I actually giggled out loud at great volume in an empty house when Tenzin AIRCLAPPED THE MECH FIFTY BAJILLION LIGHTYEARS into the air.


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## RespectTheBlade

This episode.... this episode was so good.

White Lotus benders are awesome. The fact that you don't know what they're going to bend until they do. :D And Lin, being amazing with a combined metal and earth bending fight sequence. And completely destroying an airship via metal bending a la Toph. Her bending, though... I thought at least they'd hold off on it being taken away in the finale. and the surprisingly badass airbending children were amazing. and basically everything else about this episode. 

OH YEAH and the  part at the very end with Zuko's voice actor playing Iroh and that giant bending navy and adsdfjklasjlfk it was AMAZING and then they ended the episode. D: 

Actually, I'm quite pumped for a 1 hour season finale. (just hope there isn't that much of a wait in between the two series.)


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## Tailsy

i'm gonna cry and scream with delight at the same time



Spoiler: turning the tides



FUCKING LIN oh my god. and jinora is just my favourite ever. i just want to platonically kiss her all over the face. ;__; 

on a lighter note, i loved the touch with korra being unable to drive/park the car properly lmao. and the fire nation chairperson!! screams. her husband. her. wweh. and tenzin's SUCH a badass that his beard twitches when there's danger. 

also boring mako problems. i haven't liked mako the entire time and i still don't urgh. u_u he's so irritating. but i looove asami, she's so cool!!! ugh i am just not prepared for this finale!!!!


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## Aisling

My thoughts on the finale/series as a whole in tumblr post form because I don't feel like typing it twice. SPOILER ALERT FOR _EVERYTHING_
(including ATLA stuff if for some ungodly reason you're watching Korra first)


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## Tailsy

I actually liked the finale WHOOPS (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ and let's be real, my opinion is the only one that matters



Spoiler: season finale



I mean, considering they only had twelve episodes to work with, I think it was pretty great! I'm bothered by the lack of solid explanation as to why Yakone could bloodbend without the full moon in the first bloomin' place, but you know. the finale was intriguing and surprising and I genuinely enjoyed myself watching it, which is really the important part of it for me. 

I don't think I'm really bothered by all the complaints that ~wah Korra doesn't do anything really cool compared to Aang~. well, duh. it's a different time and a different situation, and most of Aang's awesome adventures were supplemented by the fact that a) he needed to learn to bend the other three elements and b) there was a frickin' hundred-year war still going on. the equalists are pretty durn shifty and dangerous but it's just. not the same thing. Korra lives in a world that's pretty different than the one we were introduced to in AtLA, so I guess I expected it to have a less 'epic adventure' feel. especially since it's set mostly in one location whereas the original series had a LOT of travelling involved for plot reasons. 

I guess I would have liked seeing Republic City being fleshed out more, although that sounds weird. like it would have been a three-dimensional setting, where we could map it out and everything had its place and it felt really real and awesome *w* 

anyway. I don't even like Makorra like, at all, but idk -- Mako was slightly less irritating in the finale? to me, at least. he did some cool stuff that didn't involve pining after Korra, so that was nice. I enjoyed the Amon reveal too; I didn't see it coming but it actually made sense! mostly. I think we could have had a little more foreshadowing, but hey, it wasn't completely ridiculous!



also, Asami and Bolin are my darlings and I love them unconditionally. real talk.


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## Butterfree

Spoiler: the finale



I'm still disappointed and frustrated with the avoidance of taking on the actual issues at hand. It's just oh, here are people who think everyone should be equal, but they're also evil so you don't have to consider whether they have a point. And their leader is a bender, too, so that obviously invalidates everything he said about equality, right?

Amon's real motives were not really explored. As it is it's just, "He got obsessed with power and decided being able to take other people's bending away was the greatest power, so he magically and inexplicably picked up the skill and then went to take over the world." His identity also wasn't set up properly - we didn't know that Tarrlok had a brother or that bloodbending could simulate spiritbending, so the reveal came out of nowhere. And why would he make sure to wear that makeup under his mask? Just in case somebody managed to get close to him and take off the mask? Why did he bother with the mask in the first place? Wasn't just his family being killed by a firebender sympathetic enough?

I liked Tarrlok's decision to actively commit suicide and take his brother down with him, doubly so because that's a pretty gutsy thing to put in a kids' show these days. It was probably my favorite moment of the finale.

(I still wanted Amon to be Mako and Bolin's dad SOMEHOW. Like, he thought they were dead and they thought he was dead, so that they were both talking about the same firebender and it wasn't just some massive coincidence that both of them had a murderous firebender in their backstory. But oh well.)

The Makorra just felt pretty tacked on. I'm perfectly down with the pairing in theory, but it could only have worked if developed differently. As it was, the viable storytelling options would have been a) the Casablanca ending, where telling Mako to go away and get over her is a character development moment for Korra and he goes back to Asami, or b) Mako dying, allowing Korra and Asami to bond without him getting in the way. Having them get together just meant Asami got royally screwed over, Mako was a dick, and Korra learned she can get whatever she wants by being passive-aggressive. (Of course, if you flipped the genders on this whole storyline, it would be a pretty typical action movie romantic B-plot, really... which says something about typical action movie romantic B-plots.)

I really wanted it to be significant that Korra can't airbend or communicate with the spirit world. I wanted her to need to do something like Aang with the chakras - grow up, get over Mako - to unlock her airbending abilities and be able to do spirit stuff. As it was, there was a disappointing lack of character development for Korra; she was set up as a flawed character who _needed_ to develop to realize her full potential, but in the end losing her connection to the other elements just freed up bandwidth for the air and spirit parts, and ta-da, she could get all her bending back and be the avatar and give all the other benders their bending back too (conveniently undoing everything Amon did). She didn't learn anything because she didn't need to. I don't even know what the second series is going to do with her. At least if she went on something of a spiritual journey before Aang gave her her bending back it would have been more following up on how she was set up as a character, but since he just gave it back to her the moment she was moping about it, she just kind of got everything for free.

It would have been cool to see Korra come to terms with not being able to bend the elements she actually liked anymore, but it also seemed like an unconventional thing to do so I wasn't really expecting them to do that and it didn't come as a surprise when she ended up getting it back. Lin getting her bending back, meanwhile, is cool and all, but it would have been even cooler if she'd gone on being a badass normal, showing that what Amon did _wasn't crippling_. That would be the real way to win against him, wouldn't it? Show that for all he's obsessed with power, rendering other people unable to bend doesn't make them powerless?



...and yet despite all these complaints, I didn't hate it. Or even really dislike it. I think I'm more frustrated with all these things _because_ I like it and wish it were better.


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## Blastoise Fortooate

Some girls in a card shop I went to today were watching it for the first time on a laptop and I was having _so much fun _watching them watch it.


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